Well this was the first day of the fall that I needed chaps for a motorcycle ride. Pulling out at 7:45 AM the temp was 45F, cool before I began moving. My wife had to work today so I followed her to her favorite breakfast stop Chick-fil-a.

Shenandoah River

After eating our breakfast she went to work and I began my ride. With my destination of Winchester Motosports set I had no particular route in mind, so I decided to take “River Road”, County road 606, which I picked up at its intersection with VA Route 7. This road follows the Shenandoah River for about 10 miles. The views are picturesque now but in a few weeks when the leaves reach their peak color it will be spectacular!

When 606 leaves the river (and changes names several time) you weave through backcountry Virginia until you reach the intersection of US Route 50 and 606. I was tempted to turn around and ride 606 again but I moved on towards the Royal Enfield dealership.

As I mentioned a few posts ago I found Winchester Motosports when I looked at the new Royal Enfield Continental GT website. I thought it would be neat and visit the store and check out the bikes they had on hand.

When I arrived I meet Ed and the owner Carl. Turns out that Winchester Motosports is not only a Royal Enfield dealer but is also a Moto Guzzi dealer. They are also one of the largest motorcycle consignment resellers in Northern Virginia. They were also, at one time, dealers in Victory and Triumph bikes.

Carl is a very gregarious guy who, you can easily tell, absolutely loves what he does. His knowledge of the bikes he sells (or sold) is immense. I really enjoyed my conversations with Ed and Carl! If you are interested in Enfield’s, Moto Guzzi or a used bike of any kind I would consider Winchester Motosports as a first stop.

After ogling the bikes for a bit it was time to start for home as the weatherman said that rain was coming in the afternoon. Weaving through more back roads, I ended up on US 340 and then hoped on VA Route 9. About an hour or so later I was back in Leesburg. Round, trip I put on 125 miles on a pleasant, but cool, fall day.

There was one big negative on today’s ride. I dropped by phone and now the screen is krap and the pictures are not right. Nearly all the photos on this site have been taken with my Nokia 928 phone. I have been very happy with this phone and camera.

I have always had a desire for a Café Racer. As a kid I want to get a Honda CB350 and convert it to a Café bike. Never happened, but it has always been in the back of my head. I have been tempted to convert the wife’s Harley Sportster into a Café Bike but she is not very keen on the idea. But if she upgrades ………

Royal Enfield Continental GT

A friend of mine sent me a link to the new Royal Enfield Continental GT. This is a good looking modern Café bike. According to the literature, its 535cc engine produces 30 horsepower, not sure if that will get you to “A Ton” (100MPH) but it would be fun to find out.

Looking about the internet for pricing, I think the bike may be a bit pricey. I get the impression that it will be around $7000 dollars, about the cost of a Harley Davidson Sportster. But, you would not have to convert the GT as you would the Harley. But, I doubt the resell value is anywhere near comparable between the Royal Enfield and the Harley Davidson. But, which would be cooler to tool about on? Both work for me.

Alas, I cannot justify another bike in the garage nor can I afford one (I do not start to work until Monday). Turns out that there is a Royal Enfield Dealer near my home, Winchester MotoSports I might just ride over and check out what they have. The Continental is not scheduled for release until late November but they may have other bikes in stock.